//------------------------------// // Chapter 12 - Calamitous Dragon // Story: Their Very Own Suns // by Blank Page //------------------------------// “So, how is it that Twilight and Solaire happened to find you?” Applejack panted as she raced down the flights of stairs.  The griffon made use of her wings, jumping down entire flights one leap at a time. She only paused when the mare asked her question. “Um, good question,” she replied.  “I guess it’s more ‘I found them’. Me and some friends brought ‘em over to our base.  We helped them find out where Eve was, and they’re helping us get to her.” She took another leap down as Applejack caught up to her.  “Guess this means we’re going to be working together for a while. Name’s Gilda.” “A pleasure.” They paused at the base of the stairwell, although it was not Gilda’s idea.  The griffon studied the mare as her claw rested on the door to the first floor.  Applejack was moving a little slowly, but not due to a lack of urgency. “I’m not gonna pretend I know all that about you ponies,” Gilda started.  “But is the dress really necessary? We’re in a bit of a rush here.” Applejack hesitated on the last step.  A heavy blush burned beneath her still tear-stained face.  “I— Of course!” she exclaimed, trying desperately to think of a better reason than the truth.  “It’s… I mean, you see… It’s just important.” She recomposed herself and trotted to the door, pushing it open past the griffon.  “I’ve worn dresses ever since I was a young filly. I assure you I can do just as much in them as any other pony could without.” Gilda huffed and rolled her eyes as she followed after her.  “Why are ponies so obsessed with making themselves look pretty?” she grumbled to herself. The cold, Manehattan streets welcomed them as they pushed through the front doors.  Far in the distance was a faint, steady rumble. Applejack and Gilda could feel the cobblestone shaking beneath them as though there was a small earthquake.  They shared an uncomfortable look. “Look, I’ll take your word for it,” Gilda said.  “But right now, we gotta go. Hope you don’t mind your dress getting dirty, ‘cause we’re going to be taking a dip into the sewers.  C’mon.” “The sewers?”  Applejack covered her mouth with a hoof to hide some of her disgust.  “What in heavens for?” “Well, I don’t plan on being on the streets while a dragon is rampaging about,” Gilda snapped.  She walked into the middle of the street and started lifting the grate. “Wait, but what about…”  Applejack’s voice trailed as she looked towards the alleyway.  Even from here, she could still see the corner of her trailer. “What about their belongings?  They should have left most of them in my trailer.” A sharp screech of metal against stone pierced the air, followed quickly with a harsh crash.  Applejack winced and turned back to Gilda, who stared back with a deadpan expression. “You’re joking,” the griffon said, hoping that by saying so it would be true.  Applejack’s hesitation was all the answer she needed. With a grunt, she abandoned the sewage entrance and marched back to the mare.  “What kind of ‘belongings’ are we talking about?” she pressed. “How many?” Applejack made an uncertain face and cantered to the alley to find the answer to Gilda’s questions.  As she opened the door to her trailer and peeked inside, she felt her heart drop. “Solaire’s sword and shield, I’m afraid, along with his helmet and tunic,” she called, trotting back to Gilda.  “It looks like Twilight left most of her books as well. I don’t think they were planning on leaving so early.” Gilda massaged her temples with her talons.  She should have figured there would be a hitch.  “Alright, alright, no big deal. I still don’t feel comfortable taking the whole trailer through Manehattan though.  I’ll grab the sword and shield. How much of the rest do you think you can carry?” Applejack didn’t respond right away, and when Gilda looked up, she found the mare staring wide-eyed at something past her.  Before she even had a chance to ask, she heard her answer: a flurry of wings and a staccato of heavy, metallic clinks against the cobblestone just behind her. “Well, well, well,” a rugged, feminine voice announced.  “This goose chase wrapped itself up much faster than I thought it would.” With a swift beat of her wings, Gilda leaped into the air and spun around, landing next to Applejack.  Five thestrals stood before them, right next to the open hole to the sewers. They were all part of the Guard, of that much she was certain, but she was unfamiliar with their armor. It was black as pitch.  A crescent moon with a unicorn’s profile was etched into the middle of a design on their cuirasses.  Of the five of them, only four wore their helmets, which seemed to consume their heads and obscure their faces in shadows.  Jagged horns like devils sprang out where their ears should have been. At the front of the formation stood the only thestral without one, and her cold, reptilian eyes pierced through the griffon as she flashed a cocky, fanged grin. “I thought the Manehattan Guard sent one of their own after you,” the lead thestral continued.  “Wonder where he could be.” “If you’re so worried, I can show you what happened to him myself,” Gilda growled.  It was five on two, but Gilda might as well have been alone. Applejack didn’t strike her as the fighting type, not like Eve.  She didn’t like the odds; right now, she was all bark and no bite, and the thestrals’ barred fangs never looked sharper. “Tch, figures,” the lead thestral scoffed.  “Never should have sent a city guard to do a knight’s job.  Tell you what, though, I was really betting on this taking a lot longer, at least until the real action started.  What if I gave you two a five second head start?” Gilda’s teeth grinded together.  This thestral had a lot of nerve, and she wanted nothing more than to beat it out of her.  For now, though, all she could settle for was glaring. “One.” With an aggravated growl, Gilda wrapped a claw around Applejack’s barrel, and before the mare had a chance to protest, she launched them both into the air and soared down the street. “My heavens, just where are we going?” Applejack demanded as she came out of shock. “Away,” Gilda snapped, stealing a glance back.  The thestrals were quickly shrinking in the distance, but as a second passed, she saw their wings unfurl, and they began their chase.  “I don’t feel like fighting five of them at once. You’re all I came for, so I’m cutting my losses and getting you to Solaire and the others.” “But what about his equipment?” Gilda rolled her eyes.  It was difficult enough supporting the mare’s weight while flying away from the thestrals.  She didn’t appreciate having to argue her reasons on top of it. “It’s tough luck. We’re not gonna be able to grab anything with those knights on our tails.  All we can do is meet back with the group and hope we can take them all on together.” Applejack’s mind was running as fast as the wind that whipped against her mane.  There had to be a way to lose their pursuers, Twilight and Solaire were dependent on it.  An idea sparked in the back of her head. It would be difficult to pull off, but it was their best bet. They were going north on Mane Street, already heading in the right direction.  “Do you know where the business district is?” she called over the wind. “What?” “The business district!” Applejack repeated.  “I think I know a way to stop the thestrals.” “We don’t have time for ‘I think’,” Gilda snapped. “Gilda!”  The griffon looked down at her passenger, and Applejack locked eyes with her.  “Trust me.” She wasn’t sure what it was about this mare; Gilda had only just met her.  The look in her eyes told her everything she needed to know, though. Applejack had a plan; there was no ”I think” about it. Gilda conceded with a sigh.  “You better be right about this.” Before the thestrals’ eyes, the two banked sharply to the right. Lieutenant Shining Armor felt the eyes of a hundred ponies watching him from the relative safety of their homes as he marched down the residential district with the dragon.  He refused to don his helmet before departing the Sky Bastion; he wanted all to see him, to recognize him.  Five years ago, he was the symbol of hope, and his actions inspired others to follow the path he abandoned long ago.  Now, all of Equestria needed to see what was waiting at the end of that road. All of Equestria needed to know the truth. Nopony could stand against Nightmare Moon.  Not for long. Metal shrieked off to his right, followed by a sharp pop.  The dragon was inspecting something in its massive claws, and its low growl shook the air.  It wasn’t until Shining Armor saw the stump of a metal lamp post at its feet that he realized what it was.  He bit back the urge to groan, letting it instead escape as a harsh snort through his nostrils. Captain Nightingale had personally briefed him about the dragon.  It was intelligent, if only barely. Armor found that it had the mental capacity of a young, spoiled foal, always grabbing at anything that shined to do whatever dragons did with them.  Even now, he witnessed it reach for another light, wrapping its powerful claws around it and squeezing until it popped. The beast let out a dissatisfied grunt as it found only shards of glass in its palm, and Shining Armor released a heavy sigh.  He half-thought Her Majesty sent it with him to make an already difficult task impossible. It understood most words though, even if it couldn’t speak for itself, and it was all Armor could do to convince the dragon to keep the property damage to a minimum. “Hey!  Cut that out!” he barked.  The dragon craned its neck down to look at him and snarled with teeth as big as his head.  It’s hawk-like helm did little to hide the truth of the beast beneath; the etchings in the black plates seemed to only accentuate the features it hid.  He held his ground, even though everything inside him screamed to run away from the sight. “We have a mission,” he continued sternly. “Once we capture the traitors, the Princess will give you whatever shiny things you want.  You can’t keep breaking everything until then, though.” Twin jets of black smoke shot from its nostrils and engulfed Shining Armor.  He held his breath and stood his ground, trying his best not to cough. The dragon gave him a scrutinizing glare as the smoke cleared, and after a moment passed, it resigned to drop back on all fours with a disappointed grunt.  The earth shook from the impact; the apartments seemed to rock on their foundations, but the dragon paid them no mind as it continued to traipse down the street. With the dragon’s back facing him, Armor allowed himself to sigh.  He was used to ordering knights, not babysitting titans that could level a city in a tantrum.  He shook his head and followed after the beast, knowing full well that it didn’t know where to go on its own.  The last thing anypony needed tonight was a full-grown dragon wandering unsupervised throughout all of Manehattan. As they continued their journey through the maze-like cityscape, the lieutenant tried to keep his mind on the task at hoof.  It was only a matter of time until they closed in on the abandoned district of the city. He glanced up and saw the Sky Bastion looming over the skyline.  In the relative silence of the streets, broken only by the monster’s footsteps next to him, Shining Armor couldn’t help but wonder; how many times had he been here? He was almost an expert at this point; Captain Nightingale had said it himself, and Armor hated the fact that he was right.  The amount of rebellions he had stamped out since the end of the Civil War might have outnumbered the stars in the sky. Remnants of the Old Guard who disobeyed his surrender.  Cultists from Canterlot who thought they knew a way to break Nightmare’s curse and raise the sun themselves. He was unfortunate enough to have known many of their faces before he became a lieutenant in Her Majesty's Lunar Guard.  Arresting friends and familiar faces were never easy, and it was even worse when it was family. His composure broke with a shudder as he walked, and he tried to blink away the memories of that night once more, the darkest night in his life.  He wished he could pull back the clock, convince his father to stay away from those other crazy librarians and their ideas of creating a Solar Archive.  Sooner or later, it was bound to fail, but all the time in the world wouldn’t have prepared Armor for when the Princess Herself ordered him to arrest his own family.  He was just thankful that his little sister couldn’t be found at the time; though he couldn’t help but wonder what ever happened to her. He always thought it best not to try and find her, especially after what had happened.  He kept telling himself it was for the best. If Nightmare Moon knew there was another pony she could hold over the Captain of the Old Guard, there wasn’t a doubt in Armor’s heart that she would take her, too. Perhaps this raid would be a nice break in pace, in some strange, twisted way.  At least he never knew any griffons. The night sky was painted red as a bolt seared through the sky from the air ship.  The lieutenant paused as he watched it burn a trail. Red meant trouble. What could they have seen up there? The dragon let go a low growl that he could feel in his bones, and further down the street, Armor found his answer:  a lone griffon standing in the middle of the next intersection. The dragon’s claws gouged trenches in the cobblestone street as it crouched low, and it began to advance. “Hold.” It stopped on his command, but Armor could still see its muscles tensed with anticipation beneath its natural armor.  He didn’t like that this griffon was out in the open. Everything about it screamed ambush. “Impressive trick,” the griffon called out with a sneer.  “Tell me, have you taught it to sit and roll over yet?” The dragon snorted out plumes of black smog in response.  Emerald flames barked out of the sides of its mouth as it snapped with its jaws.  Armor saw the griffon twitch, but otherwise he held his composure well. “It knows much worse tricks than that,” the lieutenant called back.  As he covered the distance to the dragon, his eyes scanned along the rooftops for any other griffons.  Garrison wouldn’t have sent a flare if there was only one. “If you and your friends are compliant, though, you won’t have to see any of them.  Now, by order of Her Majesty, Princess Nightmare Moon, you are hereby under arrest for invading Her sovereign kingdom and disrupting the peace of Her subjects.” The griffon laughed.  “It’ll be a cold moon in Tartarus when I bend to your princess’s will!” he declared.  “We griffons are willing to make our final stand, no matter the odds. We have had enough of this eternal night.  If you strike us down, only more will rise to take our place.” “More martyrs won’t end this night any sooner.  It’ll only lead to more ponies suffering. Believe me; I speak from experience.”  Shining Armor studied the griffon, hoping that by some miracle his words would break through to him.  There was no luck to be had, though. The griffon had that same steely look that the lieutenant had seen dozens of times before in the eyes of other rebels, and he imagined he would still see it dozens more. “Just because you ponies lost your nerve to stand against your princess doesn’t mean everyone else has,” the griffon growled. “Then everyone else will learn just as we have,” Armor said with finality.  “Nopony stands against Her Majesty for long.” His eyes flicked to the dragon, and the beast shuddered excitedly like a dog, licking its lips with its forked tongue.  “He’s all yours, dragon. Keep him alive, though; Nightmare Moon might have some words for him.” The beast released something that might have been a bark, although it was loud enough to cause the windows of the nearby buildings to shudder in their panes.  Its body moved like a serpent, its hungry eyes pinned on the lone griffon, and the sight was enough to make him finally crack. His wings unfurled and pushed him back into the air.  With a frantic look in his eyes, he brought a claw up to his beak and bit down on two talons, releasing a sharp whistle. Shining Armor tensed. There was the signal. All that was left now was the response. Off to his left and far overhead, he heard it, the low groan of metal buckling.  He looked up and felt his gut drop. On the rooftop of a hotel at the intersection, a water tower began to tilt over the edge, multiple pairs of wings helping pushing it from behind.  With a series of shrill pops, it came unhinged and toppled down to the streets below, falling perfectly to intercept the dragon. Everything seemed to move in slow motion before Shining Armor’s eyes, and he let out a groan.  “Ah, crap.” The dragon’s spine pierced through the metal shell, and Armor managed to summon a protective shield around himself as the gutted tower spilled its contents, flooding the streets with water.  The earth shook as the dragon collapsed in the road. The lieutenant eyed the heap of scales and muscle warily, opting to keep his barrier up, even after the water drained away into the sewers below.  Up above, the griffons jeered and celebrated. He wasn’t sure what they thought they had accomplished. All they had succeeded in was making the beast angry. At first, he confused the dragon’s growl for shifting rubble.  With a force that caused the buildings nearby to shudder, it slammed its claw into the street, reared its head high, and released a pained, ear-splitting howl.  A torrent of green flames spewed from its mouth, hot enough to cook the air. Armor’s barrier became like an oven. Gasping, he had to release the spell before he was fried alive. As the flames died and the heat dissipated, the lieutenant struggled to blink the blinding afterimage out of his sight.  By the time his eyes adjusted, he could already see four smoking griffons falling out of the sky. Like a flock of startled birds, nearly two dozen griffons took flight from the rooftops, but rather than fleeing, they started to swarm the dragon.  The beast barked out a challenge, prying the husk of the water tower off its head and started reaching for new victims. Armor could see the glint of metal in some of the griffons’ claws.  They were armed, though he couldn’t quite tell with what. Though they didn’t seem to do much damage against the dragon’s stone-like scales, it was quickly apparent that they were agitating it more, causing it to flinch with each strike as they flew by. The dragon got lucky.  Reaching out with a claw, it managed to grab five griffons that drew too closely.  With a sadistic snarl, it popped open the top of the water tower in its other claw like it was a can, throwing its prey inside.  Ignoring the other griffons’ shouts and attempts to grab its attention, the dragon gave the tower a violent shake and crashed the open end into a nearby building. The remaining griffons reacted harshly to it, their attacks becoming more frequent.  Armor found himself hesitating. If they kept attacking, they might eventually create a chink in its natural armor, or at very least tire it out beyond use.  It was too risky to fire off a bolt of magic and strike them, lest he miss and accidentally incur the dragon’s wrath as well. “I’m going to need back up for this,” he muttered to himself.  Reaching within, he closed his eyes and concentrated for a spell, one that would grab the attention of Garrison, if he hadn’t already taken notice of the dragon’s flare earlier.  Purple light collected at the tip of his horn, and he launched it into the sky where it erupted into a starburst. One of the griffons had taken notice, though, breaking off from the attack against the dragon.  He landed heavily on the cobblestone before the lieutenant, and Armor recognized him as the same griffon from earlier. Brandishing a lead pipe, he snarled through his beak, “You’re gonna regret ever coming to this city.” Armor took his stance, eying the griffon’s weapon and snarked, “Funny, I’m pretty sure that was supposed to be my line.” With an agitated shout, the griffon launched forward with its wings, faster than the unicorn anticipated.  He swung wildly with the pipe, starting with a high blow and following with a horizontal swipe. Shining Armor was caught backpedaling from the abrupt attack, sidestepping from the first strike and narrowly avoiding the second with a backstep.  He was quick to recover, seeing an opening in the griffon’s exposed side and charging forward. He drove his shoulder into the griffon as he readied for another attack, and the force caused the griffon to stagger back. With a gust from his wings, the griffon launched himself back. “A little sturdy for a unicorn,” the griffon coughed.  “Most of the time, your kind freaks when your opponent gets up close and personal.” “Sorry to disappoint,” Armor sneered.  “I have a little more experience than the guards you’ve tangled with before.  It’s going to take a little more than a rusty pipe to defeat me.”  As he spoke, a quintet of five purple lights sparked from his horn and hovered above him.  He allowed himself to steal a glance past his opponent and toward the dragon. It seemed to have its claws full, but as he watched, it managed to spike another griffon out of the sky with its tail. “Whatever, you’re all the same!” the griffon growled.  He reared back and threw the pipe at the unicorn.  Two of the floating lights darted forward in response, intercepting the pipe with twin bursts of magic.  As it clattered against the cobblestone, Armor realized the griffon was no longer before him. “You all act so noble serving that witch!” Above him.  Diving down fast.  Two more lights darted to intercept, but the griffon rolled to the side in the air just before the impact.  Landing next to the lieutenant, the griffon made a swipe with its claw. This time, the unicorn wasn’t fast enough.  The talons raked across the armor on his cuirass, just below his exposed throat. The final light shot forward, and the griffon was too close to dodge.  It collided into the side of his face and burst with a scent like burning hair. The griffon cried out and recoiled, taking back to the sky with powerful beats of his wings.  His claws covered his right eye where the spell struck. Armor noticed a thin trail of smoke rising from the gaps in his talons. “Gah!  Do you even know who you’re fighting for?” the griffon demanded.  “This eternal night is a curse!” “You think we don’t know that?” Armor challenged.  “Nopony in this kingdom likes it, just the Princess and her thestrals.” The griffon pulled his claws away, revealing his newest scar, a black scorch mark where his otherwise grey feathers had burned away.  The eye was swollen shut. “Yet here you are, fighting for her,” he growled. “You ponies are weak, buckling at the first sign of hardship, but we won’t back down so easily.  We’ll fight to the last griffon!” He tucked in his wings and dived down, talons outstretched for another strike.  Shining Armor crouched low and tensed. “Easy words for stallions like us.”  The unicorn jumped out of the way before the griffon could crash on top of him.  Claws scraped through the air just before his eyes. “But not everypony can make that sacrifice.”  He reached out with his magic, and two gusts of magically charged wind slammed into the griffon, knocking him back.  “And everypony shouldn’t have to. What point is there in fighting to save a kingdom if there’s no kingdom left to save in the end?” The griffon gasped for breath as he recovered, lining himself up to charge again.  “The point is to not give up,” he coughed. “To let the others believe they still have a fighting chance, even if they don’t!”  He pawed the cobblestone and charged, leaping to the air once more with talons outstretched to grab the unicorn’s neck. Armor focused on the griffon’s claws, reaching out with his magic and forcing his will upon them.  They jerked upward and froze in place, and the griffon squawked in surprise as his momentum ground to an abrupt halt.  His hindlegs swung like a lazy pendulum as he was suspended in the air by the wrists of his claws. Though the lieutenant stopped his attack, he couldn’t prevent the daggers pouring out of the griffon’s glare. In his eyes, Shining Armor saw a defiant fire burning, and he took a moment to study his snared opponent.  Though the griffon was much larger than him, and of a different species entirely, the lieutenant saw a reflection of his younger self in him; brash and hardheaded, with more pride than what was good for him… and prepared to make the sacrifice for the greater good. “I’ve been in your hooves before,” Shining Armor sighed.  “And you’re not too far from being in mine. You just haven’t lost enough yet.”  The griffon opened his beak to speak, but before a word could escape, his claws barreled down to the cobblestone street below, and the resulting slam knocked the wind out of his body.  Armor released his control, and the griffon curled up and groaned. “Let’s just hope you don’t make as many martyrs as me.” He glanced to the sidewalk and spotted a nearby streetlamp.  Closing his eyes, he concentrated, and the streetlamp’s frame shuddered against his will before falling limp like rope.  It slithered across the street, binding itself around the bested griffon, and hardened back to its original rigidness. Shining Armor panted as the spell ended.  Such magic was never his forte, but he learned what he could during his time with his family. His ears perked up.  Far behind, the sound of shifting bricks filled the air, and his heart began to race.  He turned around and found a sight worse than he could have ever imagined. The dragon was scaling a building.  It had taken an interest in a trio of griffons soaring above it, and with each foothold it made, its massive claws gouged into a floor, sending rubble down to the street below.  The building shuddered, struggling desperately to hold a massive weight it was never meant to bear. If the building were to collapse… especially with the beast still on it… “No… No!”  Shining Armor broke into a gallop.  The dragon was three blocks away. He had to get it to stop. “Get down from there, you idiot!  Just let them go!” Its hindfoot dug a trench on the fifth floor, and it pushed up, fully taking its weight off the ground.  Its front claw grappled the roof six floors higher. “Stop it!  Just…”  He slid to a halt, his words dying in his mouth as he could only stare and watch. The foundation gave way, and the structure began to tilt with a sound like an avalanche.  The dragon glanced around confusedly, making a sound that was drowned by the thunderous churning of stone.  A thick cloud of dust billowed out from beneath as the building collapsed into the street, growing as it consumed more of it.  The last thing Armor saw was the edge of the building tumbling over the dragon’s outstretched claw before he was swallowed whole by the wall of dust. The sudden darkness was suffocating, literally so.  Particles of cement reached down his throat with each breath like a claw, strangling his lungs.  He tried to cough it out, tried to grab a fresh breath of air, but it was overwhelming. In his blindness, he could hear the last of the catastrophe, the shattering of glass and shrieks and pops of metal. After what felt like an eternity, the dust began to settle, ever so slightly.  Shining Armor peeked open an eye, waving a hoof at the remaining dust while trying to clear his lungs.  Beneath the mountain of rubble at the other end of the street, he heard the dragon shift and groan. If he could breathe, he would have sighed in relief.  At least the dragon was still in one piece, for better or worse. Although, it did manage to create a lot of property damage. The building it had climbed was reduced completely to rubble, and its fall seemed to have punctured a hole in the street with its hindleg, exposing the sewage system beneath. He coughed again, and as he glanced back at the hole, a figure climbed out of it.  It was a unicorn. “What…  What was that?” she coughed.  Armor felt an icicle pierce his heart.  The haze settled more, and the silhouette had color.  A painfully familiar shade of purple. No, it couldn’t have been… Another figure flew out of the hole with a pair of wings, a griffon.  “C’mon, Twilight, we can’t stay here! We need to keep moving.” “What—”  Another coughing fit cut Armor off as he tried to speak.  His mind was moving faster than he could keep up with. Even without the dust constricting his lungs, he wasn’t sure if he could form the words. That gut-wrenchingly familiar voice spoke again.  “What was that?” “It’s probably another guard,” the griffon said.  “It’s not safe here; come on!” He tried to call again, “No, wait, come ba-ach!”  But it was too late.  The unicorn and the griffon vanished into the haze, like haunting ghosts.  He only wished it could be so. The dark thought squirmed rampantly within his mind, consuming everything it touched until he couldn’t ignore it anymore.  Dreadful tears streaked from his eyes as he broke into a gallop after the pair. Fear had his heart in a vice. It couldn’t have been her. It shouldn’t have been her. Why did it have to be her? If Twilight Sparkle ever had to step hoof in a sewer again in her life, it would be too soon.  The only consolation this time was that she could finally see where she was going. Her candlelight spell floated lazily in the middle of the party, offering just enough light to help them navigate through the narrow tunnels.  Strangled rays of moonlight barely shone through the grates up above, but the light it gave paled in comparison to even her dim spell. It was clear that ponies were never intended to use these tunnels for travel, and it amazed Twilight that the griffons had been able to for so long. Gertrude and Galahad lead from the front of the group.  Twilight stayed in the middle with her floating spell, and Solaire guarded their rear.  Nopony spoke a word. Beneath the ground, the tremors only felt more ominous as the dragon moved somewhere above.  Eventually it released another howl, and it reverberated within the stone walls of the sewer system, filling the silence and making it seem as though it was all around them.  The party stopped and covered their ears, waiting until the horrible sound faded away into the darkness before pressing forward again. “My, what a dreadful beast,” Solaire whispered. “Just be thankful it’s up there and we’re down here,” Galahad said.  Even still, he couldn’t shake the thought out of his head.  “Grady better know what he’s doing,” he added with a grunt. “He does,” Gertrude assured him with a nod.  “He won’t do anything dumb.” A second passed, as everyone cast her a curious glance.  “Well… okay, he won’t do anything too dumb.” A chuckle came over the griffons, helping Twilight’s spell chase away the suffocating darkness around them.  The dragon howled again, as if in response, and the laughter quickly died down. Solaire snorted, hoping to bring back the lightheartedness.  “You know, this reminds me of my last adventure through the sewers.  Though, this is pleasantly more uneventful.” Galahad’s interest was piqued, if only to take his mind off the terrors above.  “Yeah? What happened last time?” “Ah, not much good, I’m afraid,” Solaire reminisced, not quite fondly.  “The depths of the old Undead Burg; not a place one would wish to find himself if unprepared.  True, one might think it a pleasant break from the maddened Hollows above; however, it boasts its own dangers as well, each corner teeming with sentient sludges and rodents of unusual size.” “Wait, how unusual are we talking?” Gertrude asked.  “You mean, like…” She held up a claw with her hind and internal talons outstretched, shrinking the space between. Solaire shook his head.  “Nay, more akin to…” He held his hands before his chest, palms facing each other.  They started close to the size of the average rat, and Gertrude’s eyes shrank as the space between his hands expanded, nearly to the size of his torso.  She pulled her eyes away, staring into the darkness ahead. Suddenly, she found herself very keen on every squeak and scuttle in the sewers around her. “But worst of all was the beast that dwelled far beneath,” he continued.  “A dreadful dragon, or rather some twisted kin to them. I was summoned by a fellow adventurer to fight it, and I could hardly believe my eyes.  Six legs it had, each nearly twice my size. What we once thought to be its torso was actually its mouth, split down what would have its diaphragm with a multitude of teeth longer and sharper than a longsword.  Oh, and the sound it made when it howled! I had never—” “Can we not talk about this now?  Please?” Twilight interjected with a squeak.  “Maybe when this is all behind us.” Solaire noticed how much she was suddenly shaking and, with a blush, coughed dismissively into his fist.  “Ah, yes, of course… Such stories are in poor taste at the moment, aren’t they?” “Hey, what’s that?” Galahad asked, pausing as they approached a corner in the maze.  The others were quick to see it, too; there was another light up ahead, just beyond the corner.  They came to a halt, and realized that the footsteps continued to echo through the tunnels without them. Someone was coming.  And they were just around the corner. The Warriors were frozen in place.  Who else could have been down here at this hour?  What were they to do? Past that bend was the only way forward.  Did they need to retreat? Just as Galahad took a backstep, the other party rounded the corner.  It was the Manehattan Guard. There were five of them, all led by a stallion in a strange armor.  It was jet black, covering most of his form. From the blue light of the magical flame that hovered hauntingly next to him, Twilight could see intricate designs etched over all the many plates, most notably the crescent moon over his chest.  His helmet obscured his face in shadows, but she could see the glint of his eyes hiding beneath it. “Well, well…  What do we have here?” the dark stallion asked, taking another step closer to the Warriors.  “And here I thought that with all these tunnels and all the other teams, I wouldn't have the pleasure of finding you first. Looks like Fortune is smiling upon me this moon.” Before they had a chance to ask, the stallion’s helmet levitated from his head, and Twilight gasped.  She recognized him. He was the unicorn from Meadow Grove. And by the look in his eyes, he hadn’t forgotten her either. “What do you say, little mage?” the stallion challenged.  “No room for tricks this time. Ready for round two?” He took another step forward, his fellow guards tensing up behind him, and a wall of purple light erupted between the two parties.  It reached from the floor to the ceiling, solidifying into a translucent barrier. Solaire glanced to his summoner, only to find her staring with wide eyes at the enemy on the other side as she maintained her spell.  The Manehattan guards fanned out behind their leader. The stallion smirked, and the mercy in his eyes Twilight remembered from long ago was nowhere to be found.  “Impressive. Most unicorns would find it difficult creating a barrier as large as this one, and oftentimes when they do manage to make one, it’s only for show and breaks at the slightest gust of wind.”  He gave her a menacing look, and the ball of blue fire next to him began to grow. “Let’s see if yours is up to snuff, shall we?” The fireball streaked forward, splashing against the barrier.  There was an audible crack, and a web of fractures spread from the impact.  Twilight winced, nearly falling as she struggled to keep her barrier up.  On the other side, the stallion readied another spell. “That’s it; we’re doubling back!” Galahad barked.  “Twilight, just focus on keeping that wall up as long as you can.  Gertrude, try to carry her; she’ll need all the strength she can save to buy us time.  Solaire…” He launched himself into the air with his wings, careful not to hit the low ceiling.  He brushed past the giant and gave him a nod. “Try to keep up with us.” Solaire stole one last glance at the enemy before turning around and chasing after his companions.  He found himself yearning for his sword, or at very least his shield. At this moment, he felt utterly helpless.  True, he had with him his talisman, along with a wellspring of knowledge of miracles and prayers from his previous life in Astora, but he feared they would be of little use now, not if he wished to keep Twilight safe. They raced through the sewers in darkness, with naught but the faint trickles of moonlight and the griffons’ intuition to guide them.  As they ran, it seemed as though the tremors were only growing louder, and once more the dragon called, more deafening than ever. Solaire couldn’t help but wonder, was it right on top of them?  Did it know where they were, and was it following them in this labyrinth from above? “Gah!”  Gertrude nearly dropped Twilight as she suddenly flinched in her claws.  The unicorn massaged her temples with her hooves and looked to her friends.  “They just broke through my barrier,” she said shakily. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t hold out any longer.” “Hey, you did just fine,” Gertrude assured her, though the comfort in her tone was overpowered by the urgency. “Yeah, some time is better than none,” Galahad added.  “Did anyone get a good look at the other guards? Any pegasi?” “Just two… I think.”  Gertrude tried to rack her brain.  “One of them might have been a thestral.  It was hard to tell in the dark.” Galahad grunted.  “But if it was, it wouldn’t have had a hard time seeing us.”  He stole a look back, only to find the expected darkness waiting behind them.  He knew thestral eyes would be able to pierce through it though. “There’s an intersection up ahead.  We’ll take the right and head south, and hopefully we can find a grate to crawl out of. If there're more guards down here, we might have a better chance in the streets instead.” Gertrude let Twilight fall out of her grip, and the mare hit the ground running.  “I don’t get it, why would they think to search down here?” Twilight asked. “I thought it was safe.” “Isn’t it obvious?”  Galahad cast Gertrude a sideways glance and grumbled, “Someone squawked on us.” She frowned.  The thought was unsettling, but she knew it had to be true.  “Who could it have been though?” “What does it matter now?  Probably some griffon locked up in Manehattan Penitentiary that thought he could use a prettier cell, and now we’re paying for it.” The intersection came up, and the griffons banked to the right.  Twilight and Solaire were a half-beat behind. Gertrude let out a labored sigh.  “Gilda’s gonna freak when we show up late because of this.” “Gilda’s gonna freak if we get caught,” Galahad countered.  “Right now, it’s better late than never when it comes to getting out of this city.” “Hey, wait!” Twilight slid to a halt, the others following a moment after.  Before they had a chance to ask about her sudden outburst, they found their answer further ahead. Another group of guards stood up ahead, blocking their path. “Hey!  Halt!  In the name of the Princess!” “Drat.”  So much for that idea, Galahad thought to himself.  “Come on, if we turn back now, we might have enough time to—” He turned around, and the words quickly died in his throat.  The first group of guards had caught up. Their only escape route was cut off.  They were pinched. “Nowhere left to run,” the stallion in dark armor boasted, closing the distance.  “Nowhere you can hide.” The griffons dropped back to the ground, and the Warriors took their stances, a pair watching both ends.  There were eleven guards total. They might have stood a chance tackling the five new ones, maybe getting away with a few scratches, but Galahad knew that the moment they tried, the other six would collapse on them.  Their journey had only just begun, and now it felt like the entire mission had derailed and was slowly grinding to a halt. It was going to take a miracle to get out of this. “It would be easier on all of us if you just give up now,” the stallion continued.  “You’re outnumbered and outmatched. There’s no need to drag this out.” “It’ll be a cold moon in Tartarus before we just give up,” Gertrude snarled. The stallion snorted.  “Very well. Never let it be said that I’d never grant anypony their last wish.  Guards, detain them.  I’m ready for this operation to wrap up nice and…” His voice trailed as thunder rolled throughout the sewers, and it was only growing louder.  The tunnels shook harder than ever, like they were in the middle of an earthquake. Dust and grime shook loose from the ceiling.  Then the world fell apart around them. With a sound like cannon fire, the ceiling collapsed just south of the Warriors, a cloud of dust and debris spewing forth in its wake.  It sounded like there was an avalanche just above them, and with the thick haze, Twilight couldn’t prove her thoughts wrong. Nopony moved as the cloud swallowed them whole.  As the dust began to settle, Galahad was the first to call out. “Everyone—  Ach!  Everyone alright?” “Ye-Yeah, I think so,” Gertrude answered next to him. “Solaire and I are good, too,” Twilight coughed.  As the veil of dust lifted, Galahad could see her and the giant huddled closely together, the latter crouched low and massaging his own back.  He must have tried to use himself as a shield. “What happened?” Galahad cleared his throat and looked up.  Past the thick clouds, the Mare in the Moon looked down upon them in her silver light.  Maybe he had her to thank for the miracle. Far behind them, another voice called out in the darkness.  “Guards, what’s your status? Is everypony alright?” Maybe we shouldn’t waste this chance while we still have it, Galahad thought.  “We got a new way out.  Gertrude, help her out of here.” Gertrude was quick to react.  Taking flight, she helped guide Twilight steadily up the mound of rubble to the streets above.  As the mare crawled out, she hovered for a moment, looking back down to Galahad. He was still on the ground.  Why hadn’t he taken flight, too? Their eyes met, and he gave her a brisk nod, sharing more than Gertrude ever needed to know.  Her wings hesitated for a moment, but she quickly recovered, twisting around and flying out of the pit before her heart could tell her otherwise.  Solaire was halfway up the rubble when he saw the interaction, and he paused, turning back to the griffon. “And what of you, Galahad?” he asked somberly.  “I’ve seen that self-destructive look in your eyes before.  What are you planning?” The griffon grit his teeth and looked away, hoping he wouldn’t have to say it out loud.  “Those ponies aren’t gonna give up on us, and they’ll know we went up to the surface. I’m gonna buy you guys some time.”  He glanced back to the giant and flexed his talons. “Get them while they’re still in a daze.” Solaire stood on the rubble, studying him silently.  The silver haze cast down from the moon made it seem like the giant was engulfed in a heavenly light, but the shadows that stretched long over his face betrayed his thoughts.  He stepped down to the sewer floor. “Then we will fight them together,” he said matter-of-factly.  Galahad saw his strange talisman gripped tightly in his readied fist.  “I would not dare think to leave a companion behind.” “Oh no you don’t,” the griffon growled, pointing a talon at Solaire.  “You’re more important to this quest than me. You’ve been in more fights than me.  Heck, you never said it, but I’d swear you're an honest to the Crown knight.  Me?  I’m a nobody; no fancy experience, no fancy bloodline.  I’m just another griffon that sailed here to riot. So I’m going to do just that.  You keep them safe… Keep Gertrude safe. You do that for me, and I’ll do this for you.” There it was again, that scrutinous silence.  Galahad wasn’t going to wait for the answer he already knew.  “You make this worth it,” he said as his wings lifted him up. “All of you.” Without giving Solaire a chance to say another word, the griffon twisted in the air, and disappeared into the haze and darkness.  As Solaire lingered, he heard the griffon’s last battle cry. “Hope you’re all ready for this!” As the sounds of battle began to rage in the distance, Solaire steeled himself to turn around and climb.  He was loath to admit it, but Galahad was right. He couldn’t leave Twilight behind in her mission. He swore to her he would help see it through.  As much as he wished, he couldn’t risk himself to save one soul in the stead of many. “I swear to you, my friend, your wish shall be granted in full.” He found himself back in the strange streets of Manehattan at the end of his ascent.  The dust had settled, the last of it barely higher than his feet now, but his summoner was nowhere to be seen. “Blast it,” he cursed.  “Twilight! Twilight!  Where have you gone?”  He moved around the mountain of rubble lying in the street, hoping to find some sign of her around it.  Why hadn’t she simply stayed? He held his talisman up to his lips and whispered nervously into it. “Great Lords who delivered us from the Dark, I beseech ye, grant me guidance in these troubling times, for I have lost my way.”  His fingers brushed against the crushed bricks as he felt his way around what must have been a collapsed building. “Deliver me to those I have sworn to protect, that I might uphold my sacred oath.” His hand shifted a loose brick, causing more to cave in and reveal a dark cavern beneath.  Curiosity dragged his attention, and he studied the hole closer. Deep within, a large, reptilian eye stared back. The dragon growled hungrily.